Samsung Mobile’s Android presence in 2009 was unforgettable – for all the wrong reasons. The Korean giant alienated many fans with promising but ultimately buggy phones that were all but abandoned by the company last year. But that didn’t slow down Omar Khan, Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Products & Services at Samsung Mobile.

Rather than dwell on past mistakes, Khan ushered Samsung Mobile through a banner year in which it introduced the Hummingbird processor, turned heads at all major carriers with the Galaxy S, and is in the process of repeating that feat with the Galaxy Tab.

Khan’s credentials for Android Person of the Year are strong. As CSO and SVP at Samsung Mobile, he helped chart the company’s course in a year in which it sold more Android phones in the United States than any other manufacturer. Millions of people use the device that he has helped create, and the ideas of his team members will please or infuriate those consumers.

It’s not all Hummingbirds and sunshine for Khan, however. Samsung committed to keeping its Galaxy S phones on the latest software, but it has failed to distribute the Android 2.2 update before version 2.3 was announced. As much good will as the company has earned this year, it cannot afford to anger customers further with slow upgrade paths and persistent problems. 2011 will either be another year in which Khan takes Samsung to new heights or one in which it loses ground to rivals. For that reason – and his involvement in the next generation of Samsung phones and tablets – Khan’s influence on Android will clearly be felt.

7 Comments

FAIL! Great hardware, but samsung desperately needs to learn how to work with software (less of a case of 'if it aint broke don't fix it' ratehr 'if it aint broke dont break it' and how to support products that have maintenance cycles. Sumsung dropped the ball in many cases. So they've upped their game, but they are still suffering from the same mistakes of the past. Course change!

Agree fully with elrojo! Samsung is a hardware company. FULL STOP. Got tired to wait for 2.2 here in Greece so I had to hack the registry to get it!! It is written in the stars when I will get 2.3, if ever. Love the screen and power of the hardware, but still they don't fix the lag, dragging down the user experience. Not to mention the GPS problem, that they still haven't fixed. Next Android will be either true Google (Nexus) or HTC.